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Book Launch: Meridith Talusan + ALOK

Award-winning author and journalist Meredith Talusan’s memoir Fairest is a coming of age story about a precocious boy with albinism, a “sun child” from a rural Philippine village, who would grow up to become a woman in America. Coping with parental neglect and the elusive promise of U.S. citizenship, Talusan found comfort from her devoted grandmother, a grounding force as she was treated by others with curiosity or special preference. Her albinism often caused her to be perceived as white, and afforded her access to privilege often denied other immigrants to America. An academic scholarship to Harvard provided further access to elite circles, but it required her to navigate complex spheres of race, class, and sexuality. Fairest breaks new ground with an utterly singular perspective, probing trans experience in all its complexity through rich insight and indelible prose. Gender non-conforming writer and performance artist ALOK joins Talusan in conversation at this virtual book launch!